Turret gun mounting



April 22, 1952 MOTLEY TURRET GUN MOUNTING F iled May 12, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 22, 1952 L. MOTLEY 2,594,198

TURRET GUN MOUNTING Filed May 12, 1947 5 Sheetsfiwet 2 April 22, 1952 MQTLEY TURRET GUN MOUNTING 3 Sheets$heet 3 Filed May 12, 1947 Patented Apr. 22, 1952 Wire sr. res

TUHRET GUN MOUNTING Lewis'Motley, London, England Application Mayl2, 1947, Serial No. 747,428 .In Great. Britain October 12,.19142 'ISection 1, Public Law '690, August-8,1946

I Patentexp'ires OotoberlZ, 1962 a :;massive armour protection, .as for example .the

armoured turret .of :a .tank.

-1The:object of the inventionis .theprovision of .improved meansfortaking the recoil of :thegun, and .thexinvention consists broadly in the .ar-

:.rangement that the. massive armour protection -forms the support on which the gun is mounted,

.. and moves together with thegunt in both traverse and elevation, and also :moves through. a' small distance :to :absorb vthe'irecoil.

By the expression massive it is to be under- :stood :that i' the armour protection is so massive ."jin relation .tothe calibre of tthegun that1its .rearxwardgrecoilupon firing .ofthegun would berela- :tivelyslowevenif it were unsupported. For exiamplesarmour protection rof .two .or three .tons v weight'would be suitable fora-six pounder gun.

vj Preferably resilient ,meansfor resisting therecoil of the massive:armour protection and effecting the :"counter recoil are provided, thearrange- .ment being such that the amplitude of .recoil is reduced .to amatterof fractional inches.

In order that the invention maybe the more clearly understood, a gun mounting in accordance therewithemployed on atank will-now .be described, reference being made to "theaccom- .panying-drawings, wherein:

:Figure ,-1 is a sectional side elevation of said mounting;

Figure 2:15:21. rear elevation shown in section on line .-II-..II-.of.l?igure .1.

Figure 1-3 :is ..-a:s.ectionalplan ,on Iline III-.111 of .Figure 4 isa sectional. elevation illustrating .a

modified :form ofasdetail.

.Referring to' the drawings athe main ,gun .i :is mounted on the upperportion .or-head2 .of aggun turret. Said. head 2 whichconstitutesa massive armour protection for the gunneris mounted on .a lower portion or based of said gun turret in such-a way'as tobe rotatable relative :to saidbase aboutv a horizontal axis .X-X which is .at right words, the turret base 3 forms an intermediate element whereby the head 12 and gun are mounted .on 'arelativelyi'flxed the tank itself, so that :said zheadzand gunrcan move both ,in traversei-and elevation.

baseiconstitutedby The gun] :which may be a six ipoundergmay be rigidly bolted to the "turret head 2:or.-it:may :be

mounted on said turret head :in J such r away as 430 be capable of. recoilingirelative theretotinzopposi- "tionttorsprings .Lthrough iasmall distance fonlyfiof :rsay'ltwo :or three inches. "lnieither casethei'major part :of the reach is taken by i the iturretfas Fa whole. sAs'itheiturretlhead is heavily armoured :and 'is therefore massive (it may Ifor e'xample weigh "three tons or 'more) iithe ":recoil movement of theturret' will only be slow and need only have an amplitude-cf a fraction of an inch. To pro- 'vide for such recoil movement of'the 'turretp'the turret base? at its upper end rotates'in an: upper journal bearing "4 Which'is of *suchacharacter 'ais 'topermit of a small horizontalmovement innny direction of theiupper "end of said turret base to absorb'the recoil, -and,- at itslower-end, said' tur ret base'is mounted on 'a supporting member- 5 which rotates about the vertical axis *Y- -Y, the mounting of said turret base on' s'aid supporting member being through the medium of "a universal joint which "permits said turret base fto 'pivot slightly in any direction about a point Z on said axis Y- Y just below said'turret' base. "Ihe'memher 5, which,.as will hereinafter.anpeargisrotatable by .a source of .power, thus .constitutes a driving element for rotating the turret base 3. y

The :turret base13 .is \of generally cylindrical form and-the upperjjournalloearing l tco nprises a large horizontal bearing .ring lalsurrounding, and .mounted rigidly on, the =um3er -.end. o'f 'the .turretbase 3,-and a race -.of' relativelysmalllhori- -zontal wheels 41) with .resilient tyres and :anti- .friction .(say ball) .bearings mounted onthe-tank structure-.6 .around said horizontalibearing :rmg

so as to engage the outersurfaeerthereof. .ilt Will berseen that as the turret based rotates .the hearing ring 4a will :run freely 'over-thehorizontal wheels iband that, when .the gun I is fired-the 45 resilient (say irubberltyres tof said --wheels will ;floor;df.the'tankandzrotates inzball .ibearings 1 .(which locate .iit axially) and 1011 iconical .zroller bearings' fl (which :support' the downward'lthrust) in a manner which is deemed clear.fro m the drawings. The universal jointbetweenzthe rtur- "ret baset3 .and :theimember fi comprises :a member 9 from which project four horizontal trunnions ID at right angles to each other and radial with respect to the point Z. One opposite pair of said trunnion bear respectively in lugs II which depend downwardly from the bottom of the turret base, and the other opposite pair of said trunnions bear respectively in lugs 12 which stand upwardly from the supporting member 5. It will thus be seen that the turret base is capable of rocking universally about the axes of both pairs of trunnions.

The mounting of the turret head 2 on the turret base 3 is through massive trunnions l3 which project inwardly from the sides of the turret head and bear in massive supporting plates is upstanding from the turret base. These supporting plates M, which are of triangular form as shown, are each made in one casting with a respective are shaped piece [5 bolted within the upper end of said turret base 3.

The sides of the turret head 2 are fiat as shown and lie close against the supporting plates M. The back of said turret head is more or less spherical and the front is shaped as shown to receive the gun. The roof of said turret head, as will be hereinafter more particularly described carries a hood 16 on which is mounted alight gun I1 of the machine gun type. The bottom of the turret head 2 is open and the gunner stands in the turret base 3 with the upper part of his body in the turret head. To fill in the space between the bottom of the turret head 2 and the top of the turret base 3, two further front and rear castings are'mounted on the upper end of the turret base.

The front casting comprises a spherical front plate 18 and an are shaped piece l9 bolted within the upper end of said turret base, and also side pieces 20 extending rearwardly from the front plate [8 up to the front edges of the triangular plates I 4. The rear casting comprises in like manner a spherical rear plate 2|, an are shaped piece 22 bolted within the upper end of the turret base and side pieces 23 extending forwardly from the rear plate to the rear edges of the triangular plates [4.

As shown the upper end of the turret base 3 lies just within the main armour of the tank, the reference 6 designating the roof of .the said main armour.

It will be appreciated that, as the gun I does not have to recoil appreciably into the turret, the latter may be made considerably smaller than heretofore, and the armour can accordingly be made thicker for the same overall weight.

The ammunition for the gun is contained in an armoured magazine 24 detachably mounted on the back of the turret head, outside the turret head and communicating with the interior of the turret through a small opening 25 in the back of the turret head. It will be appreciated that the rounds in such a magazine could be detonated and ignited without the gunner being injured. The magazine which projects rearwardly from the back of the turret head as shown will, in some measure, balance the weight of the gun. The spherical rear plate 2! is cut away at 21 to accommodate a bracket or tray 26 for the rounds, and the spherical front plate [8 is, in like manner, cut away at 28 to accommodate the gun I.

The movement both for traverse training and elevational training is effected hydraulically.

Thus for movement in traverse the supporting driven by some form of hydraulic motor (not shown) which is controlled from within the turret.

For movement in elevation two pairs of vertical hydraulic cylinders are mounted within the turret base 3 one pair being on each side. Each pair comprises a forward cylinder 3| in front of the axis X-X and a rear cylinder 32 to the rear of said axis XX. Each cylinder has a piston 33 and an upwardly extending piston rod 34 which is connected by means of a connecting rod 35 t0 the side of the turret head at 36. Two pipes 31 and 38 are provided, either of which can, by control means, not shown, inside the turret, be connected to a source of hydraulic pressure while the other is connectedto exhaust. The pipe 31 is connected to the upper end of both rear cylinders 32 and to the lower end of both forward cylinders 3|, and the pipe 38 is connected to the lower end of both rear cylinders and to the upper end of both forward cylinders. Thus when the pipe 31 is connected to pressure and the pipe 38 to exhaust, the pistons of the rear cylinders will move down and those of the forward cylinders up, and the gun I will be elevated. On the other hand, when the pipe 31 is connected to exhaust and the pipe 38 to pressure, the pistons of the forward cylinders will move down and those of the rear cylinders up, and the gun will be depressed. As will be sufliciently clear from the drawing the conduits from the pipes 31 and 38 pass up through axial holes in the member 5, the member 9 and the bottom of the turret base 3 after which branch pipes go to the appropriate ends of the respective cylinders 3| and 32.

The hood I6 is rotatably mounted (about the aforesaid axis Y--Y) on top of the turret head 2 through ball bearings 33. The gunners head can extend up, through a top opening, into this hood when he so desires and the hood is provided with a thick bulletproof glass front 40 through which the gunner can look. The gun I1 rotates relative to said hood about a horizontal transverse axis WW. For movement of the gun [1 in traverse, the hood is rotated on the ball bearings 39, and for movement of said gun in elevation, said gun is rotated about the axis WW. In the particular arrangement shown, the trunnions of the gun 11 have arms El rigidly mounted on them, and these arms are linked, by'means of links 42, which pass through the roof of the hood, to similar and parallel arms 43 pivotally mounted on the turret head 2, within the top opening thereof, so as to be rotatable about an axis VV parallel to the axis WW. Thus as the arms 43 are rotated about the axis VV, the gun l1 will be rotated about the axis WW. To enable the arms 43 to be thus rotated they are each provided with a downward extension terminating in a handle 44. The gunner holds the handles 44 in his two hands and it is clear that by means of them he can not only rotate the gun in elevation as stated but can also rotate the whole hood and gun for traverse. The reference t5 designates a trigger by means of which the gun may be fired. Alternatively the transmission mechanismthrough which the gun I1 is moved in elevation could be the same as in British Patent No. 581,975. Or the gun l1 could be mounted on the head in the manner described in British Patent No. 581,973, no hood being employed.

.The reference 48 designates the door by which access is had to the turret base 3. The reference 31 designates a sighting telescope for the main gun.

Figure 4 illustrates a slight modification which ittiat,"tilinthgtiitfhrecoils owin has the ell ito :sdischarg tithe.igu'n 1,truitacnly'ltheivvheels 4b "at'the rear ofithe turret, but-ialsoithosefattthe front oftheiturret,wilLbewonipressed. Thus, in

addition toj thebearing-ring 4a whose outer surface' i's engaged by the surrounding wheels lib the has'a further b'earing ring' lc'moimb "weiiare iaware thatta *gun mounting h'a's'lbeen heretoforemroposed"inwhich the*gun, having'the usual recoilrlabsorbmgfzimeans;f'isiilred from be--*' hindimassirve armourvprotection which forms the suppjo'r ton which the gun-fisimounted andiiiove's, "Together With 'the 'gl'inf intralvfse but "n'ot in'elesmear means'coactin'g withsaid intermediate i to vation, and which is also capable of moving in a vertical direction to absorb the shock of projectiles striking it.

We are also aware that a gun mounting has. been heretofore proposed in which the gun, provided with? the usual recoil absorbing means, has trunnions supported in bearings in a, carriage which has a massive weight associated with it and which is pivoted about a transverse axis to a gimbal frame, which, in turn, is pivoted fore and aft on a horizontal ring which rotates on a nonrotatable base, spring washers being associated 9 with the fore and aft pivots between the gimbal 7 frame and the ring, and a cushion of elastic material being provided between the non-rotatable base and a fixed support therefor, which spring washers and cushion take up part of the recoil when the gun is fired. w

I claim:

1. An armoured gun and mounting construction, comprising a gun including a gun barrel, massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gunner firing said gun, said massive armour protection including an armoured turret head which is movable about both a horizontal and a vertical axis, said gun barrel being mounted on and supported by said turret head, means for moving said turret head and said gun barrel in unisonboth for traverse and elevation of the gun, and supporting means including resilient re,- coil absorbing means for said massive armour protection'ailording movement of the entire massive armour protection rearwardly to absorb the recoil of the gunbarrel and for restoring said massive armour protection and gun barrel to the initial position following recoil of the gun barrel.

2. An armoured gun and mounting construction, comprising a gun including a gun barrel, massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gunner firing said gun, said massive armour protection including an armoured turret head which is movable about both a horizontal and a vertical axis, said gun barrel beingrigidly mounted on and supported by said turret head, means for moving said turret head and said gun barrel in unison both for traverse and elevation of the gun, and resilient supporting means for said massiv armour protection affording movement of the entire massive armour protection rearwardly with said gun barrel to absorb the recoil of the gun barrel.

3. An; armoured gun and mounting construction, comprising a gun including a gun barrel, massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gunner firing said gun, said gun barrel being mounted on and supported by said massive armour protection, an intermediate element on f b'ase on which' s'aid inre'rmea tenementas transverse to said first-mentionedaxis whereby said massive armour protection andgun barrl "arecapable *of' being moved 'infun n 'bbth for tr'a'verse-"and' elevationo he gun' bar're -e- "ment and'said base for ermitting mov'emen f T'S'aid "intermediate"elmlit with Said massive "*4. an i armored gu'n and mountingmml arcftion, comprising a gun including "a ha e1,

ment on which saidm'assiv'e armour -protec ran ismountedfor'rotation about a given axis, a relatively fixed base on which said intermediate element is mounted for rotation about an axis which is transverse to said first-mentioned axis, whereby said massive armour protection is capable of being moved both for traverse and elevation of the gun barrel, and resilient means coacting with said intermediate element and said base for permitting movement of said intermediate element with said massive armour protection to absorb the recoil of the gun barrel.

5. An armoured gun and mounting construction, comprising a gun including a gun barrel. massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gumier firing said gun, said'gun barrel being mounted on and supported by said massive armour protection, an intermediate element on which said massive armour protection is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a relatively fixed base on which said intermediate element is mounted for rotation about an upright axis, whereby said massive armour protection is capable of being moved both for traverse and elevation of the gun barrel, said intermediate element having a circular bearing surface thereabout concentric with said upright'axis, and a fixed ring of Wheels surrounding said bearing surface in engagement therewith, said wheels being resiliently compressible and. permitting movement of said intermediate element to absorb the recoil of the gun barrel. 7

6. An armoured gun and mounting construction, comprising a gun including a gun barrel, massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gunner firing said gun, said gun barrel being mounted on and supported by said massive armour protection, an-intermediate element on which said massive armour protection is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a relatively fixed base on which said intermediate element is mounted, a driving element mounted on said fixed base for rotation relative thereto about a vertical axis, a bearing in which said intermediate element is rotatable relative to said base about said vertical axis, a universal coupling connecting said driving element to said intermediate element, said bearing being spaced from said universal coupling in a sense longitudinally of said vertical axis, and being resilient so as to permit" of movement of said intermediate element therein transversely to said vertical axis, and means for driving said driving element.

7. An armoured gun and mounting construc-- tion, comprising a gun including a gun barrel, massive armour protection defining a chamber for the gunner firing said gun; said gun barrel being mounted on and supported by said massive armour protection, an intermediate element on which said massive armour protection is mounted for rotation about'a horizontal axis for training the gun barrelin elevation, a relatively fixed base, a bearing for said intermediate element .whereby the latter is adapted to rotate about a vertical axisrelativeto said base for training the gun barrel in traverse, a driving-element rotatable about the same vertical axis, a universal coupling connecting said driving element to said intermediate element for rotation of the same by the driving element, said bearing being spaced from said universal coupling in asenselongitudinally of saidvertical axis, and being resilient soasto permit of movement of saidintermediate element therein transversely to said vertical axis for absorption of the recoil of the gun barrel, and meansfordriving said driving element.

. IEWIS MOILEY.

'3 REFERENCES CITED The following references'are' of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 859,704 France Dec. 27,1940 

